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July 13, 2013

Time for some much needed weekend R&R

At the risk of sounding like a broken record (a similar sentiment kicked off my last entry), this isn't the post I'd had planned for today. The other has already been written and could have gone live, but somehow it just didn't seem right for this easygoing, sun-drenched mid-July Saturday. The subject matter is a bit serious (it's about USPS's steep rate hikes earlier this year), and though I'm sure it will pop up here sooner or later, again, after such a fun filled, enjoyable week, it just didn't seem like today was well suited to it.
This week has been a hectic one, compounded with the fact the fact that I've not been doing too terrific on the health front this month (I was actually really not feeling well on my birthday, and wasn't able to dress up and/or do an outfit shoot that day as a result - but with the help of a mid-afternoon nap, I was able to get through the day and truly enjoyed every low-key moment of it), which stems at least in part from a very heavy new medication that I started last month.

As such, I've had next to no time to spend online so far this week, and I must apologize if I haven't made it to your own lovely blog in a few days. I suspect next week will be more in keeping with the usual ebb and flow of things, and that I'll be online a bit more.

The basement flood situation that I discussed here is progressing positively. In the wake of having to move everything out of our storage room down there (which was actually the point of entry for the water) because of it, we've decided to rent a small storage unit to house most of what was tucked away in that room (such as seasonal decor, old paper work, luggage, etc) and to transform that room into a home gym for Tony, once the flooring situation has sorted out. There's nothing to say we wouldn't have done this had we not been hit with a basement flood, but I'm sure it was a big push in that direction, and I must say, I'm excited to transform that room isn't something that I know my husband is truly going to love having under our roof.

And speaking of adding things to our home, last week (spurred on in no small part by the heat wave that rolled through town around the start of July) we had central air installed in our lovely little condo and are so exceedingly grateful that we won't have to rely on fans and window AC units to get us through another roasty-toasty Okanagan summer.

As I've touched on here and there in posts over the years, as much as I adore this season, the heat can be an extra challenge for my health (I hold up much better in the winter in this respect - and sometimes joke, as a result, that I'm going to up and more to the arctic because of how much better I fare in cold weather!), but with any luck, having central air will help significantly in this respect.

Between the heat (outside), the busyness of this week, and not feeling like a million dollars at the moment, I'm pretty spent as we kick off the weekend, which means its high time for some much needed rest and relaxation.

It's too early in the summer to throw in the (beach) towel entirely - there's easily a couple more solid months of sizzling Okanagan summer ahead of us, so stopping to recharge my batteries as often as possible, so to speak, is a definite must.

{Much like actor Alan Ladd and his wife in this 1950s photo of the couple taken by Bill Anderson, my weekend is slated to be as serene and laid back as possible - completely with plenty of outdoor lounging, reading, and time to unwind. Image source.}

Cold drinks, snuggles with Annie (who, hard as it is to believe, will be six months old next week) and Stella, cozying up with a good book (Claire McCardell's 1950s classic, What Shall I Wear?, to be exact), catching up on some of the week's many emails, and perhaps a Netflix movie or two are the name of the game today and tomorrow.

Whether you've got an itinerary so action packed it would tire Indiana Jones out, are planning to join me for some peaceful relaxation, or find your schedule falls somewhere in between, I truly hope that you each have a splendid weekend, my dears!

*PS*

Thank you again, everybody, not only for your awesomely lovely birthday wishes (all across the web), but for each and every one of your blog comments here this week (it was such a joy to read about some of your own fabulous memories of the 1980s).

32 comments:

Im so sorry that you hve not been feeling well, and I truly hope your new medication works well. Central air sounds great, we have window air conditioners and Id love central air but I cant imagine the bill as we have quite an old row house in not fab shape. Have a lovely weekend

Get some rest and relax. Like you, I'm exhausted and need some quiet down-time. Plus, I've noticed that the blogosphere has slowed to a crawl as everyone deserts their blog for funner offline activities.

Reading, relaxing and cuddles with Annie and Stella.. all sound fabulous to me! You have a special weekend planned and that's great, Jessica. I've never read the book you mention but want to look for it. I love the photo you shared here too. It's wonderful.

Oh Jess, it feels so good to be able to hear someone I can relate to speak about things I go through on a daily basis as well. Although I cannot bare the winters here, I have realized I can bare them a lot better than our summers. I just cannot deal with this heat. Dressing up is nearly impossible bc with so many undergarments and my braces on I feel like I will have heat stroke. Top that off with daily fatigue...gah I feel like an old lady sometimes hehehe But on a serious note, I just wanted you to know you arent alone. I know how you feel. It is very imp to have down time and I try to have some everyday even if its just sitting with the kids and reading a book to them. Lots of hugs to you and keep cool! xox

That truly means a great deal to me, Bunny thank you so much for your sweet understanding. I'm really sorry that the scorching summer weather does a number on your health as well. I love summer for so many reasons and am grateful we get to experience this season, but do wish it wasn't so challenging for some us with serious medical issues to contend with day in and day out. Here's to the hope that we're both able to enjoy the season, but that autumn arrives a fair bit sooner than later ;)

Sorry to hear you haven't been well! I hope you get lots of rest and are feeling better soon!

It is boiling hot here too (usual for this time of year in the 'Peg) and as much as I like the heat of the summer I am forever grateful that our house has AC. I know you'll love yours! Nothing beats coming into a cool house from a hot summer day.

And thank you for all your sweet comments on my blog! They always put a BIG smile on my face! You rock girl!

Thank you very much, honey. I was online a lot on Saturday trying to catch up a bit on the past week's internet going ons, but did not even so much as turn on my computer yesterday. I just read, watch some interesting documentaries (fittingly, on the documentary channel), hung out with the pets (Tony wasn't home for most of the day), and tried to get a bit of rest. I think it helped a little, which is precisely what I was aiming for. Perhaps I need to take more "days off" every now and then - Sundays certainly would be fitting. :)

Gosh I do not cope with the heat very well at all and I don't have a genuine reason like you do. I have spent the last two weekends inside until about 6pm when it's a bit cooler and the very idea of dressing up is beyond me.

Thank you very much, my dear. Counterintuitive as it seems, sometimes drinking something warm or having a warm bath in the summer can actually make you feel a little cooler. Not always, of course, but every now and then.

I wish the heat didn't do such a number on me. Eons ago, back in my healthier youth, I could take anything that summer dished out temperature wise and actually often loved the warmest days the most, but now (though I still love how the world looks, going to the beach, etc) they often make me yearn for December something fierce.

I've only been through the Okanagan a few times in the summer, and every single time I thought I'd die. I can't begin to imagine how you've managed to go this long without air conditioning!

I hope you're feeling better soon. Being new to your blog, is it rude of me to ask about your health issues and the new medication that's causing you problems? Don't feel you have to answer that question if you'd rather not. :o)

I do hope you are feeling better!My husband is the polar opposite of you- he feels terrible in the winter and great in the summer. I am finally (after 14 years lol) getting used to Virginia summers (heat and humidity) but I still kind of feel like melting in the heat!

Thank you very much, dear Rachel. I'm very sorry to hear that winter is tougher on your husband. It's so interesting, isn't it, how different folks with different medical issues are affected by the seasons. It often seems like I'm the odd (wo)man out, so to speak, in the chronic illness community for finding winter much easier to tolerate than summer (most folks I've chatted to about this say the opposite is true for them), but I just find the heat drains me so, so much (and I have precious little energy at the best of times) and can also trigger flare-ups with some of my conditions at times (more so than winter weather typically does). So while I adore summer for so many reasons, I'm not big on how it makes me feel physically. No matter - at least here in Canada one thing is for sure: winter will always return! :)

I hope you have a lovely weekend and recharge those batteries! it sounds like it is much needed. And with the basement flood - all clouds have a silver lining (even if it is not apparent during said cloud!).

I agree that the heat can be an extra challenging - for health, habits and makeup choices. :DI'm sad to hear you were not feeling well on your birthday - I hope you got your joy-time and you truly celebrated it this past weekend.(Mine is this friday.. yay!)

Hi dear Jessica, I am so sorry to read bad news about your healt, and I do hope you will be fit and strong soon. Some days of rest are a good idea and a book is a good friend.By the way, the photo in your post is very nice, and make me think of you sitting in an armchair, wonderful as ever, with a radiant smile ...

Sorry to hear you are feeling a bit ill, but I hope the time off helps you recover. Having household issues on top of health ones makes things even more frustrating and difficult, doesn't it? They seem to add weight to our shoulders (our sump pump decided to stop working last week, when we were getting a few inches of rain a day...fun!). Being in a situation somewhat similar to yours, I took last week (mostly) off, spending most of it with my nose in a book. I do feel a bit refreshed and am glad I chose to disconnect for a bit.

Thank you very much, dear Porcelina! I still feel buzzed with joyful excitement about my birthday a week later (I'm such a kid at heart in that regard with birthdays and holidays) and your wonderfully sweet wishes certainly help to keep that feeling going strong.

I did get in a bit of rest, especially on Sunday, I'm happy to say (and slept a lot of Monday, which I really needed), so hopefully by the time the next weekend rolls around I might be feeling well enough to do something out and about during it (like perhaps some yard saling, that would be tops!).

:( ahhh I sad to hear that your health is not co-operating in the best way right now. I do hope that the R&R helped a bit (and that AC too) and your Netflix got some good use :) Sending good "feel better" thoughts your way.

Well, getting some rest with the newly installed air conditioner sounds very good in that heat!Every time I read about you not feeling well, like for your birthday it makes me feel so bad - as sometimes we just complaint about the stupidest of things when we have health - the most important of things!

Thank you very much, dear Lorena. It's human nature to complain, vent about, or bemoan those things that upset, anger, frustrate or otherwise annoy us - no worries at all. I've had people say things to me over the years like, "Oh, but I shouldn't complain about my cold/flu/allergies/etc when you deal with all that you do everyday", and I always tell them that it's totally ok to do just that (complain, vent, etc) because the situation that I'm in (with my health) doesn't make what they're going through any less real, painful or challenging to deal with. We each have different ups and downs, battles and victories in life and, by the same token, have the right to talk about all of those things because they are real and important to our own existence.

I'm sooo far behind on posts too. As you can tell from your inbox by the time I get done you'll have quite a few comments from me. I do hope that you have been fairing better. I am not sure what the weather is like for you now, it differs so from IN's. Cooler weather, I summon thee. LOL! :)

Hi sweet Sanne, you're very welcome. It's a marvelous read - I hope you love it as much as I did. For sure, I can grab a few snaps when it's done, thanks for asking. The storage room is really small and certainly won't make for the world's largest gym, but small is better than nothing for sure. It's well beyond the limitations of my health do most types of exercise or sports, so save for the treadmill (which we've had for years), this gym is all for sweet Tony (so expect it to look like a guy's room! :)).

I'm Jessica, a lifelong lover of all things antique and vintage, especially those from the 1930s, 40s and 50s.

This blog is my visual scrapbook in which I record and share my thoughts on the multitude of sources, people and products that inspire and feed a modern gal's addiction to the past. I also post about the vintage clothes, hairstyles and make-up looks that I adore wearing.

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